Cornell student says she was threatened after alleging gang assault at fraternity house

Jane Doe, a 20-year-old Cornell University student, told campus police investigators that she had become “a sex doll for all intents and purposes” after what she alleges was an assault by seven men at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, New York, in 2024.

Her account is that she had been pressured to take ketamine before arriving at the house severely intoxicated. Thomas Giuffra, her lawyer, said she was “completely, grossly intoxicated” and therefore “incapable of consent”.

According to records from Cornell’s disciplinary investigation, Doe said she “felt like bait” while the attackers were “like lions around me.”

No criminal charges were initially filed. The matter was reopened after Doe brought a civil lawsuit that brought her allegations to national attention.

The lawsuit has also exposed people unconnected with the case to harm. Giuffra said online posts had “incorrectly” identified other women as Doe.

In an interview with CNN on Friday, he said: “She's under siege on social media where people are trying to identify her.” He said people had threatened to silence or harm Doe if she did not withdraw the civil case, and that he too had received threats.

An active-duty US Marine Corps sergeant with the same name as one of the accused men was wrongly served with Doe’s lawsuit, leading to abuse and threats against him.

Governor Kathy Hochul has now appointed Attorney General Letitia James to lead the investigation.

At a news conference on Friday, Hochul said she had “lost faith” in the county prosecutor’s ability to oversee the case. She said: “This young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable, and then at every turn she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.”

Hochul also said she would seek to close a state-law “loophole” that can make rape charges difficult where an alleged victim voluntarily consumed alcohol or drugs.

Cornell president Michael Kotlikoff called the allegation “deeply disturbing” and said in a video message on Saturday that the university would examine fraternities’ and sororities’ role on campus. He said such groups can offer friendship and belonging, while adding that “being part of a group can never diminish individual responsibility.”